Tiny Hands, Big Risks
Courtney Carter
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Tiny Hands, Big Risks

Protecting children from accidental poisonings

In 2022, U.S. Poison Centers responded to 2,064,875 cases of poisoning. That’s an average of one new case every 15 seconds. Of those, 40% (97,000) were for children under the age of five. Additionally, an estimated 68,600 children under the age of five were seen in the emergency department for accidental poisoning.

While the source of poisoning ranged from cleaning products and laundry detergent pods to fentanyl patches and cosmetics, there was one common theme: 93% of accidental poisonings occurred in the home

 

The Top 5 and Emerging Dangers to Kids

The top 5* most common exposures in children aged 5 years or less in 2022 were:

household cleaning substances (10.3%)

analgesics (9.54%)

cosmetics/personal care products (9.49%)

dietary supplements/herbals/homeopathic (6.65%)

foreign bodies/toys/miscellaneous (6.61%)

 

Recent studies also note an increasing number of accidental poisonings in children from:

*SOURCE: National Poison Data System® (NPDS) from America's Poison Centers®: 40th Annual Report

 

Prevention is key to keeping children safe. Family members and caregivers should work to identify hazards in the home that could be a poisoning danger and keep them out of a child’s sight and reach. 

Here’s where to start:

 Drugs or Medications 

  • Keep medications safely stored in a locked cabinet or box and out of the reach of children. 

  • Keep medicines in their original child-resistant containers and never in unsecured containers. 

  • Properly discard unfinished or unused medicines. 

  • If a family member is taking a medication like Suboxone for opioid use disorder, you should keep a dose of Narcan (Naloxone) in the home in case of accidental ingestion

  • Beware of vitamins, medications, and other substances that are in a gummy form, as they are often mistaken for a candy.

Laundry Packets or Pods 

  • Store laundry packets in their original containers and out of a child’s sight and reach. 

  • Do not let children handle laundry detergent packets. 

Household Cleaning Supplies 

  • Keep chemicals and cleaning supplies safely stored in a locked cabinet or box and out of the reach of children. 

  • Keep household chemicals in their original child-resistant containers. 

Button Cell or Coin Batteries 

  • Keep products with accessible batteries away from children if the battery compartments do not have a screw closure or if the compartment is damaged.  

  • Check the toys in your home to make sure battery compartments are secured. 

  • Do not allow children to play with or be in contact with button cell or coin batteries. 

  • Click here to learn more about the dangers of button and coin batteries.

 

If you think your child has been exposed to a poison, remain calm and:

Call 911 right away if they:

Are having difficulty breathing OR

Have collapsed or are losing consciousness OR

Are having a seizure

If they are conscious and breathing easily:

Call a Poison Control Center at 800-222-1222.

Be prepared to provide the following information when you call:

  • The specific substance consumed. It’s helpful to refer to the label for this information

  • The age and weight of person exposed and any existing health conditions they may have

  • Any first aid provided

  • If the patient has vomited

  • How far you are from the nearest hospital

 

For online assistance or more information on accidental poisonings, visit Poison.org.

 

Moriah Krason, MD, FAAP is a general pediatrician at SVMC Pediatrics in Bennington.

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COVID-19 Scams

Scams are almost as old as time. They always take advantage of our vulnerabilities and fears. So in times of mass panic, like has been caused by COVID-19, opportunities for scammers increase, said Southwestern Vermont Health Care's Information Technology Security Engineer Geoffrey Mazanec.

IT experts noted a 667 percent increase in malicious phishing e-mails as of the end of last month. Security firm Barracuda Networks identified 137 coronavirus-related phishing emails in January, 1,188 in February, and more than 9,000 in March. 

There are most likely several reasons for the increase.

  • First, many scams exploit our fears. As fear increases, so to opportunities for scammers. Many scams have been tweaked to include a reference to COVID-19, which may cause people to react more quickly and without thinking.
  • Scammers also exploit our desires to be good people—to pay our bills on time and follow directions—which could also be heightened during a crisis.
  • During COVID-19, everyone is conducting more business remotely. In the effort to keep all of our online activities straight, we may lose track of who is on the other end of the phone line or e-mail.
  • Mazanec notes that, with so many people out of work, scammers may have taken what had been a part-time swindling gig full time.

These startling statistics and our increased vulnerability make it a great time for a refresher about how scammers attack and how to avoid getting caught in a scheme.

Phishing. The most common way scammers operate is by phishing. They call or e-mail, usually posing to be a company or organization that you trust: the IRS, Medicare or Medicaid, or a company that you have done business with before. And they are crafty. They can even make it look as if they are calling from a business you recognize. They are counting on your thinking that they are the real thing.

"Lots of people, looking for protective equipment, for instance, are purchasing from companies that they have not dealt with in the past," Mazanec said. "Scammers want you to believe that you have purchased from them, when you have not."

They might send you an "invoice due" message with a .pdf attachment, or they might provide a link for you to click and log in. They want you to do one of two things: (1) Give up your personal information, either over the phone or by logging in to a fake sign-in page or (2) click on a .pdf or website that will infect your system.

So what can you do? Mazanec recommends not clicking. "If you don’t recognize it, don't open it. Instead, always question whether it is legitimate. And, no matter who it is, don't give anyone usernames or passwords."

Disconnect the call or delete the e-mail and call the company directly. If you don't have their number on hand, you can find it using a Google search. If you ask them whether they just called or e-mailed you, you will likely find that they have not. Congratulations. You’ve just avoided a scam.

Too good to be true. Some scammers are also selling fake products. For instance, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued warnings to seven companies selling fraudulent products that claim to test for, prevent, or treat COVID-19. Some even claimed to be approved by the FDA! Other companies are taking personal information in exchange for being added to a fake list for early access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

There is no valid at-home test for COVID-19 and no viable at-home treatments, unless you count rest and plenty of fluids for mild cases. Consult with your local healthcare provider before taking any testing or treatment action, as some can be harmful or even deadly.

To avoid scams like this one, read, watch, and listen to reputable news sources. If there is a legitimate at-home test, treatment, or vaccine, you will hear reports about it from your state's department of health and other official organizations.

More information about scams related to COVID-19 can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/media/phishing.html and https://www.ftc.gov/coronavirus/scams-consumer-advice.

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